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Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and an assist as the Ducks skated to a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks at Honda Center for their first win of the preseason.

Skating a more veteran lineup than in Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes, the Ducks were buoyed by the presence of several regulars. Jonas Hiller started in goal and stopped all 19 shots he faced in 32 minutes. Corey Perry also scored a goal and the line of he, Getzlaf and Matt Beleskey (two assists) combined for five points.

Matt Beleskey, who scored 11 goals last season after becoming an NHL regular for the first time in his career, has been rewarded with a two-year contract extension.

Update: Beleskey will earn $666,667 this season, the final year of his entry-level contract, then $1.475 million over the next two seasons: $625,000 in 2011-12 and $850,000 in 2012-13.

The former fourth-round Ducks draft pick (2006) also had seven assists and 18 penalty minutes in 60 games last season. A high-energy player with a dangerous shot, Beleskey became a fixture in the Ducks’ lineup at midseason and finished tied for 10th among NHL rookies in goals scored. He also tied for third among league rookies in game-winning goals (3), seventh in hits (94) and 10th in shots (123). Beleskey finished sixth among team leaders in goal scoring and tied for fourth in game-winners. Some of those numbers were helped by skating at left wing alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry – a role Beleskey might be asked to reprise this season if the Ducks shift Bobby Ryan to a second-line center role, which has been discussed.

In 15 American Hockey League (AHL) games with San Antonio and Toronto last season, Beleskey earned 2-5=7 points with a plus-5 rating and 21 PIM.

The 22-year-old forward can rest a bit easier about his future in Anaheim, as he becomes one of just eight players signed through 2013 (Getzlaf, Perry, Ryan, Lupul, Visnovsky, Lydman and Hiller are the others). He also becomes a front-runner to win a third- or fourth-line left wing spot from a pack that includes Ryan Carter, Aaron Voros and Stephane Veilleux, who was invited to training camp on a pro tryout contract.

Aaron Voros certainly stands in contrast to the majority of forwards who have joined the Ducks in the Bob Murray era, guys like Jason Blake, Joffrey Lupul, Saku Koivu, Dan Sexton and Kyle Chipchura. In that group at least, there isn’t a natural fighter among them.

Voros, who was acquired Friday from the New York Rangers along with prospect Ryan Hillier for defenseman Steve Eminger, knows what got him to the NHL.

“The reason I’m in the league obviously is because I play a physical game,” he said.Continue reading →

The Ducks have traded defenseman Steve Eminger to the New York Rangers for left wing Aaron Voros and minor-league forward Ryan Hillier.

A grinder with two-way skills, Voros was underutilized in New York by the admission of Rangers head coach John Tortorella. In 41 games last season, he had three goals, seven points and 89 penalty minutes. In 2008-09, Voros set career highs with eight goals, 16 points and 122 penalty minutes in 54 games.

The 29-year-old has one year and $900,000 remaining on his current contract, and gives the Ducks a salary-cap hit of $1 million – a net savings on Eminger ($1.5 million salary/$1.25 million cap hit).

Eminger was inconsistent in his lone season in Anaheim – sometimes a healthy scratch, other times worthy of top-four minutes. He wound up with four goals and 16 points in 63 games despite a slow start (one assist through 23 games).

Hillier, 22, played only 26 games last season between the Rangers’ AHL and ECHL affiliates. A 2006 third-round draft pick by the Rangers, Hiller has “a good combination of speed and skill, plays with a lot of energy, and shines when the puck is on his stick” according to the scouting report on HockeysFuture.com.

With the departure of Eminger, the Ducks have just four NHL defensemen under contract for next season: Lubomir Visnovsky, Toni Lydman, Sheldon Brookbank and Brett Festerling. Voros adds depth at left wing to a picture that already includes Joffrey Lupul, Matt Beleskey and Jason Blake – not to mention restricted free agent Bobby Ryan. The Ducks have also qualified restricted free-agent defensemen James Wisniewski and Brendan Mikkelson.